CO129-510-8 Policy on sale of Opium 12-1-1928 - 24-7-1928 — Page 19

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Enclo. No.1.

The attention of the preventive staff is now

wholly concentrated on the detection of

contraband import in bulk and wholesale trading.

4. On 14th March the price of the best

quality opium, generally known as Kamshan, was

increased to $50 per 3 tael tin. Sales of this

brand, which had shown a tendency to increase

slightly when only inferior opium was being sold,

now show signs of decreasing, but the full effect

of the increase in price cannot be accurately

judged until the winter, when the longer cold

nights tend to increase the amount of smoking

amongst the leisured classes.

5.

The amount of illicit opium being seized

is about normal, but the number of actual seizures

has since January 27th for the reasons given in my

paragraph 3, decreased very much, being only 134.

The rewards offered for the detection

6.

of illicit opium have been considerably increased,

but seizures have not been in any way stimulated.

7. I attach 2 tables showing the amounts

seized during the first four months of the year,

and the sales for the month of April.

8.

Stocks of confiscated opium are very low,

but the remainder of the stock of low grade

prepared opium, which was withdrawn from sale on

27th January, is being used for blending purposes.

Stocks of Indian opium are comparatively high, as

they accumulated to some extent while low grade

opium was being prepared.

9.

Briefly the position now is that the

Hong Kong market is again being supplied for the

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most

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